1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a sector drive assembly for a camera and, more particularly, to a sector drive assembly for driving a light-shielding device to protect an image pickup device such as a CCD or a CMOS device of a digital camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a diaphragm or shutter device of a conventional silver-film-type camera (hereinafter referred to as a “film-type camera”) or a light-shielding device used for protecting an image pickup device of a digital camera, a mechanism for opening and closing an aperture by the pivotal movement of plural sectors is generally employed. Both the conventional diaphragm device and light-shielding device are capable of opening and closing an aperture and adjusting the size of a diaphragm opening by pivoting the sectors by use of a drive motor. The sectors are driven by the drive motor via a drive force transmitting mechanism. The drive motor, the drive force transmitting mechanism, and the sectors are all mounted on a base plate.
When all of the sectors, the drive motor, and the drive force transmitting mechanism are mounted to the base plate, the entire base plate assembly is deemed defective when any one of these three separate units has a defect, resulting in a reduction in manufacturing yield. In addition, since these small components must be assembled in sequence, assembly of the device involves a complex process.